The dark begins
by Yako-chan278
Summary: Travel to the future, get time destroyed and the past all mangled up. Grovyle's still a Treecko, and guess who's his partner? Gardevoir takes a time skip and as a Kirlia, they meet and form a team. And guess who's out there to stop them? -A Pokemon Mystery Dungeon future fanfic- Rated T just in case.
1. Chapter 1

Another fanfic! I'm not so sure about this one, but I'll try my best to write on! I dunno WHY I even chose that title. It just seemed nice. Oh well. *shrug* Here we goes!

* * *

Because of that day, just one day all of this fell into place. We met. All of us. He turned evil and left. Our world... Our friend... Well, that was a completely different story. That's not what I'm about to tell you now. This started before she was even born (Please don't ask me how old I am).

Fighting wasn't my profession. It wasn't my way of solving things, but soon I came to realize some things were worth fighting for. Enough of that. I must continue the story...

...

Footsteps trailed behind me as I walked up the sandy rocks of the beach. How had I came into this world? I saw none of the kind that took care of us. I shan't mention their name, and even though I haven't the slightest idea how I got here, I do remember following a small Pokemon... I've never seen it before. I followed it through the forest and clambered into a musty little box just for it... I remember changing... I wasn't the level to evolve, but I soon found myself a Kirlia. I still wonder why.

I climbed up another step as the sand faded away and looked down at the beach below me. Waves lapped gently against the shore, and palm trees swayed merrily in the cool evening wind. Krabby started to gather around and a particularly small one came to my side and started blowing bubbles.

The beach was a beautiful sight, but then I saw a small green dot travelling to the edge of the sea and sitting down. I noticed it was a Treecko, holding an average-sized, grey gem in his hand. It looked to grey to be a gem, so I finally decided it was simply a shiny rock. He laid it down beside him and covered it in sand.

_Someone else has the rock now... It's because of him that she managed to find it..._

He watched the waves for a while before a Dusclops came up to him and started pushing him around. The Treecko got up in fright and managed to evade the second attack, but the Dusclops came forward and knocked him off his feet. He struggled up again, but the Dusclops simply laughed and pinned him down to the sand and smacked him in the face.

I then decided I had seen enough. I jumped down from the rock, scraping my calf in the process. I ignored it and moved on. There were enough disadvantages against me already - the small trickle of blood down my leg, the weakness of ghost-type attacks and the un-suitable area for battle.

I was pretty strong for a Kirlia at my level. I moved fast and attacked rapidly, but my health was low and I was almost taken down at one point. Luckily, the Treecko stepped in and shot leaves so fast at the Dusclops so all I could see was a green blur.

The Dusclops was sent to the sand. As he scrambled up I prepared for another fight, but merely shot a faint shadow ball at my feet and dashed off into the palm trees. "Are you okay?" I asked the Treecko as I helped him up after he had fallen backwards from the Dusclops' slam.

For a while he looked uneasy, as though he was thinking whether to trust me or not. "I'm fine." He said after a while. "Um... Thanks for saving me. I'm Treecko."

Common name. "Kirlia." I said, then my gazed turned to the small lump in the sand where he had buried the rock. "By the way, I saw you bury something down there. Was it a rock?"

"Um..." He kicked sand towards the lump. "Yeah, it was a rock. My dad gave it to me, because he said 'just in case'. He was part physic 'cause my gran was a Xatu. I don't know why he said it was just in case. I don't know why I'd need a rock. I'd keep it here in case anyone would want it."

"Oh. I see." I said, understanding only that I didn't see. "So... Do you live around here?"

He looked up at me wearily, and I realized after our little stand-off with the Dusclops he was low on HP. "Is there a Pokemon Center nearby? You should rest. You're still hurt after the fight."

"I'm fine." He lied. I could tell he was lying. "What's a... Pokemon Center... Anyway...?" He wobbled away slowly, and I realized that the Pokemon that led me here... Could it have been a different world?

"Okay... I guess I... I'd better go now." I said hesitantly. I still didn't know where I was to go. I had spent only a few days here, subsisting from the water bottle and berries in a bag that had been with me the whole time. Treecko looked at me and opened his mouth like he was about to speak, but said nothing.

My heart downed a little. I was hoping I would be able to take care of him for a week or two, and get a free room without being questioned for being 'new in town'. After the fight, the way I saved him and the way he (well, sort of) saved me, I felt rather attached to him and I didn't want to see him limp off into town alone, unsure if his parents or relatives were alive, and the Dusclops bullying him every now and then.

I realized Treecko was still standing in front of me, kicking the sand in front of him slightly. What was I supposed to say? 'Hi, so can I stay with you?'. Ew, no. Too straight. Or 'Bring me to your home so I can help you.' No. Sounded wrong. In the end I said "How long has that Dusclops been bullying you anyway?"

He looked slightly tense at the mention of his name, but he spoke normally. "Dusknoir?" He said. "He's... Been around for a while."

"I thought he was a Dusclops."

"He is... He just calls himself Dusknoir because he thinks it makes him sound stronger."

"You'll need to heal your bruises."

He looked at the scars on his arms and legs and nodded. "You can help me with that?" He asked awkwardly. "I stay nearby and..."

"Sure," I said quickly.

He beamed. "Oh... Thank you. Um, follow me." He led me through the beach, past a forest, winding roads and a small town. He received a few looks from the younger Pokemon surrounding him, but they merrily waved to me. Dusknoir glared at him through bandages and retreated into the crowd. Soon we were standing alone on the edge of a cliff.

"Over here." He said, walking towards a bush and pushing the bramble out of the way to reveal a small set of stairs carved into the rock. "Go on." I hopped down the stairs and watched him clamber after me, letting the shrub fall and sealing the darkness.

I soon saw light as the hazy evening sky showed itself upon me from a window with sharp, tooth-like rocks jutting out from every angle. There was a tall straw bed, a few barrels of food and a wooden chest and small fountain. In short, it seemed cozy and inviting. Treecko came into the room moments later. "Nice?"

_Yes. It seemed this place was to give two other Pokemon joy years later... Or maybe years back._

I nodded absent mindedly as I wondered how long he was going to let me stay here. Treecko settled himself down on the patch grass next to the fountain and drank thirstily. After a few gulps, he looked up to me and read my mind. "How long are you going to stay here, anyway?"

I stared down at the ocean, watching the waves once again. "I'm not sure." I said. "Maybe until you're taken care of... Or until Dusknoir's been taught a lesson." I laughed nervously.

"Oh." He said, then continued drinking, although this time he took a few sips. "Are you new around here?"

I shifted uneasily at the question and finally allowed myself to sit down. "Well..." I said. "I... Just came. From a different town... I... I wanted to explore." That was sort of true, wasn't it?

He pulled out another huge pile of straw from one of the barrels and set it down next to his bed. "I guess you'll be here for a while."

I looked behind me. "Huh? Oh, no, you don't have to let me sleep here. I could always find an inn or something."

Treecko shrugged. "Nah. I just wanted to ask you something."

Curious, I crawled over to the make-shift bed and accepted the apple he gave me. "What is it?"

He bit into the apple. "Will you make an exploration team with me?"

An exploration team? I thought it was rescue teams. Maybe this was another world. And the Pokemon that brought me here... Maybe some exploration would help me find it. Yes. A little exploration wouldn't hurt would it? I had to get back to my world, maybe... Maybe when Treecko was stronger. Yes. "Well... I'm not sure how long I'd be staying here..."

His face fell. "But... They have rooms in the guild."

He never told me about a guild. "...But I'd love to."

He gasped and looked up at me, his yellow eyes shining with delight. "Oh! R-Really? You will?"

"Why not?"

"YES!" He cheered, dropping his apple. It rolled on the floor and fell off the edge of the cliff. "Oops. Whatever. Thank you so much Kirlia, thank you, THANK YOU!"

I didn't say anything then. I was too happy.

_Yes... So that was the day our adventure started. The day everything became... Our adventure... Of the year it all turned dark, and the past was manipulated... How it even started, I don't know. Perhaps she does. So maybe I'll never know, how time got all winded and how they were born. All I knew that was the day Grovyle and I met... ... ... And so did Dusknoir._

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I FINISHED! YES! FINALLY! Also, you probably won't get it. Well, you will soon. Now please review! XD

~Yako-chan OUT!~


	2. Chapter 2

Ooh... Next chapter. And yes, even though this is the **!****SPOILER! **future, **!****SPOILER! **the story should still be exactly the same... Also, can you tell Treecko is a bit of a coward here? Yeah, haha... Apparently Dusknoir bullying him all the time made him snap. XD Yeah. So, next chapter!

* * *

Treecko pointed up at the huge head engraved in the roof of the guild. It was a slightly worn out Wigglytuff, and on top of that an Amarldo. "Uh... That's kind of creepy." I said, looking up at it. He nodded and shuddered. "You go first." I said, waving my arm at the grate tunnelled in front of the guild.

He looked at me nervously, and I nodded. He stepped onto the grate before a high-pitched, siren-like voice yelled out "Pokemon detected! Pokemon detected!" He jumped back in shock and collapsed on the ground. As I ran over to help him up, the same voice said "He ran away again."

"Get back up there!" I said, shoving him over the hole. He stumbled over it, but stayed firm. Once again, the voice rang out and correctly identified his footprint (what?) as a Treecko's.

Suddenly, a deeper, booming voice yelled out from under the grate. "Now get your friend to get up HERE!" Treecko bolted away and I paused, thinking whether or not to step on the grate, but I finally did.

"Pokemon detected! Pokemon detected!" Did it do this every time? Poor thing must have a sore throat. "The Pokemon is... Uh... A Gardevoir? No, no, wait. It's a Kirlia, I think. Yeah. I think it's a Kirlia! Kirlia!"

"YOU THINK!" The second voice yelled, making me jump of the gate and fall onto the barricaded door of the guild. "What do you mean YOU THINK! You. Are. Professional! WHY can't you tell me YOU KNOW it's a Kirlia!" He boomed.

"Hmph!" He snorted. "Well, you're not the one who has to stand all day underground, looking at dots walk around in the sunlight above you while you're trying to identify it's footprint, and there aren't any Kirlia around here at ALL! So bye! I'm taking a nap!"

The voice died down, and I soon found myself in a giggling fit. Professional? Yeah, sure. And the way he mistook me for a Gardevoir, I'm not even that height yet! Then again, he could only see my footprints... There was a low rumble as the barricade behind me opened, and I jumped away before I fell backwards.

There was a small ladder leading downwards, and straw-filled pillow on the right and a signboard on the left. I guessed we were supposed to climb down the ladder, so that's what we did. We ended up in a large, bustling room filled with Pokemon. Wow! A Jigglypuff walked up to me. "Excuse me, but what do you want down here?"

Treecko was to shocked to say anything, so I stepped in. "Yes, we're here to start an exploration team!" I said happily.

She looked at Treecko disapprovingly, turned to me and simply nodded. "Well, I'm Jigglypuff." She said. "You look a little old to start a team, but... Okay, follow me." She led us down another ladder and made us stop in front of a huge pair of dark wooden doors. I noticed there was a large stone slab placed on the side of the door.

_The first master, _it said, _Amarldo, who taught the leader of the guild how to be a proper explorer. The leader, Wigglytuff chose the next Amarldo in honor of his master, and in turn, chose a young Jigglypuff._

_Amarldo 1 1934-2004_

_Wigglytuff 1 1978-2030_

_Chatot 1980-2033_

_Current master - Amarldo 2 2023_

_Current servant - Jigglypuff 2047_

"That's me," Jigglypuff said happily. "And once I become a Wigglytuff, I'll be Wigglytuff the second and make a new Amarldo the next master. In short, the guild's only accepting Igglybuff families and Amarldo and their pre-evolutions. Also, Chatot was Master Wigglytuff's advisor. They say he was sometimes annoying but super-smart and Wigglytuff's best friend. Anyway... SIR! I'm coming in!"

The heavy doors swung open, and an Amarldo stood on a rug in the huge room. There were two large, french windows painted blue on the sides and blue and pink flags in between them. A soft straw bed sat in one corner of the room. Everywhere else were boxes, barrels and and chests overflowing with items. Sunlight poured in from the windows, casting shadows on the walls.

"Ah, you must be the new recruits." He said. "Glad to meet you. I'm Amarldo." He held out a claw, and I shook it gratefully, but Treecko seemed confused on what to do, so he just let it drop. "Jigglypuff, would you please fetch the new recruits the items?"

"Wait, that's it?" Treecko said suddenly. "We're just registered in? No test? No nothing?"

"Do you want a test?" Jigglypuff said irritably as she returned with a basket full of items. "This is Wigglytuff's way, so just deal with it, alright?" She placed the basket on the rug in front of us and tipped the contents out. Between all the cloths and leather, I picked out a treasure bag, some berries, apples and two badges.

"Take this one, Kirlia." Treecko said happily as he handed me a dark purple scarf. "It's the same color as your pysic power." I smiled and took the scarf, picking up the badge and clipping it on. Treecko took the treasure bag, seeing that I already had one of my own. Well, sort of.

The Amarldo looked at us and nodded slowly. "Yes... You'll be all set for tommorrow morning." He turned to Jigglypuff. "Jigglypuff, would you please take them to their rooms? It's getting late." She nodded sleepily and led us out of the room and through corridors of other rooms, the faint sound of snoring floating out from some of them. As we entered the last corridor, I picked out the room all the way at the end. It had a single window that gave us the view of the sea and the bright moon.

Treecko dove into his bed immidiately, but Jigglypuff and I sat and talked for a while before she had to go to bed, too. She waved and headed off to her room. I saw Treecko had chose the bed next to the window, so it would feel like his home at Sharpedo Bluff. I smiled and settled myself into the next bed, wondering if my adventure would get any more exciting.

_It would. Because long ago this room had been used by two children soon to be born when time changed._

* * *

Whenever Kirlia speaks as Gardevoir from the future, she always says confusing things. Oh well, stuff will even out. Also, it's kind of sad not having Wigglytuff and Chatot around anymore. Sorry, but this takes place in the future! They're already dead! Sigh... Oh well, I hope I can make Amarldo and Jigglypuff live up to their expectation. Eh. Now clickie the review button, please!


	3. Chapter 3

So, how's the story so far? Hopefully it's good. And I'm not sure if I'm going to follow the game storyline or not at all! This is the haven't-turned-dark-future, so the expedition and exercises should be at about the same time, and Amarldo would probably forget that Wigglytuff had already gone through Waterfall Cave, so... Yeah.

* * *

I awoke in a start the next morning. Treecko was still sleeping peacefully, and I guessed I still had an hour or so before it was actually time to get up. What was I dreaming about? I saw a Pokemon grabbing something, and the area around it turning black. I saw fields and skies turning grey. I saw a collapsing tower. I saw... I saw the Pokemon that led me here. What was it's name? I don't remember. I saw the kind that... That once took care of me. It was a girl. I saw something blue and swirly. I saw a... Grovyle? I saw two Pokemon, coming to the guild... I saw Wigglytuff. I must've dreamt of the past. How odd.

I decided to get more sleep before it was time to get up. However, the hour passed quickly and before I knew what was happening, a Whismur jumped into the room and started poking us awake. "Hey, wake up." She whispered. "My da always shouted at people to get up, but I don't like it, so I just poke people. Da wouldn't like to see me poking people. Hurry and get up."

I got up, but Treecko simply rolled over. He finally awoke when a rather old-looking Exploud stormed into the room and yelled at him. He thumped off angrily, muttering about 'new-recruits' and 'sleeping late', with his daughter trailing after him. "Morning, Treecko." I said, rubbing my eyes. He looked at me sleepily, then stretched his arms.

After Treecko strapped the treasure bag over his shoulder, and I folded my scarf around my neck, we walked out to see the other members of the guild at attention. We waited there for a good five minutes before Amarldo came out of his room (with dried-up drool around his mouth) and adressed us. Jigglypuff rolled her eyes at the side. After doing our morning cheers, we set off for work. Jigglypuff called us over to the side.

"Hey guys, follow me for a 'sec. I've got to tour you through the guild _or I won't get paid_." She said, muttering something else under her breath.

"Huh?" She looked at Treecko sternly before she climbed up the ladder and made us stop in front of two notice boards.

The first notice board had _MISSIONS_ printed on top of it, holding pieces of printed paper. The other board read _OUTLAWS _with the papers featuring pictures of Pokemon that I guessed were criminals. Jigglypuff took us around the room, and had us stand in front of the mission board. Suddenly there was a loud beeping sound, and someone yelling "MISSIONS UPDATING!" Before the whole board flipped over. Moments later, it flipped back with different papers.

I looked at Jigglypuff. "Dugtrio just updated the missions." She said. "His father used to do the job, but he died six years back, so Diglett evolved into a Dugtrio and does the job. His son checks the footprints."

After that we were left to our own for a while, so we just roamed around the huge guild, talking to others. They had built and dug out into caves to expand the building. They now used working lightbulbs unlike fifty years ago, where the guild was illuminated by oil lamps. Treecko had wandered off somewhere, and I had managed to engage myself into a chat with a friendly Buneary. She was slightly tall for her age, but I figured it didn't matter and I went to talk with her anyways.

Her mother had onced owned a famous exploration team called Team Charm, and her other two members were a Gardevoir and a Medicham, so she was convinced on finding a Ralts and Meditite to form her own 'Team Beauty'. She said it was a pity I was already a Kirlia, and already in a team, but she let it slide. In the end we started talking about ourselves, although, luckily, she talked a lot and I didn't have to add in much.

Treecko returned an hour later with his treasure bag full, and he stalked towards his room. Thankfully, Buneary said goodbye and I went after Treecko. He was sitting on his bed with a book in his hands. "I didn't know you liked to read." I said, leaning against the door.

He looked up and gave me a _who-said-I-diddn't _face. I sat down next to him and looked at the cover. _TIME GEARS. _"Is it interesting?" I asked, admiring the shiny illustration on the leather cover.

"Uh-huh."

"So you like Time Gears?"

He closed the book and and threw it backwards. It landed perfectly, cover up in his chest drawer. Wow. "I... I've heard about them." He said, suddenly sounding anxious. "It's... I guess it's a good book. Night." He curled up in bed straightaway. It was only 7, and he hadn't even eaten his dinner yet. Maybe he had, when I was talking to Buneary.

Quietly, I stretched my arm and grabbed the book. The strange, confusing pattern of the Time Gear made me wonder. The words TIME GEAR were printed in large, bold, shiny blue-green letters which shone in the light. I flipped it open and started reading.

_**The Time Gears help keep control of the flow of time in the world. Even the most hardened criminals know not to disturb the Time Gears, lest the proper flow of time be disrupted in that general area.**_

Well, at least I knew what Time Gears were now. I fished out a gold gummi and an apple sitting in one of the barrells, and ate it before I fell asleep, the images of today replaying before my eyes.

...

...

... ... ...

... .. ... ... ...

_Ugh... .. ... ..._

_... What... ..._

_... Can't ..._

_... ... ... ... ..._

_... ..._

_...No..._

_... ... ... ..._

_..._

_He ran up to the glowing, blue thing suspended in the air. He swiped it away from it's post, turning the sky a still grey... Sparks crackled. The water of the lake swirled into nothingness. Then... All disappeared in a flash of lightning._

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*shrug* Lookit the dream, there! Haha... If you can't guess, she's **!SPOILER!** dreaming of the past again, where Grovyle stole the Time Gear from Underground Lake, where Mespirit was. **!SPOILER! **I guess that's all for now. Other than the Pokemon world now having printing presses and lightbulbs... Yeah. Also, is it confusing to why Treecko buried the Relic Fragment in the future, and it was dug up by... Someone in the past? Well, that happens later. I don't want to give away and spoilers, but the messed-up time causes it to be unearthed anyway. 'Kay, byes.


	4. Chapter 4

Well... I have no idea how it's going so far, but I like it. PM me or review if there's anything wrong.

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Once again, Treecko and I were poked and shaken awake by Whismur, and we managed to eat our apples before Exploud yelled at us in his old, creaky voice. I don't know. I wouldn't push it, in case he lost his voice or collapsed or something. Treecko grabbed the usual supplies, stuffed them in the treasure bag while I wrapped the delicate purple scarf Treecko had chosen for me around my neck and let it fall loose over my shoulders. I took a deep breath, and suddenly realized that the scarf smelt of... Pink gummis.

I decided to give the scarf a quick wash before we headed out for the morning announcements. It still smelled like gummis, but I let it slide and let the smell of food relax me. Treecko finished washing his face and we scurried out for the announcements. After we were dismissed, Jigglypuff led us to the notice boards again and allowed us to choose whichever mission that seemed challenging, but easy enough for us. When she said 'us' she looked at Treecko. We ended up choosing one at Drenched Bluff.

_Please, please help me! My mam finally entrusted the family heirloom for me, and I went and lost it at Drenched Bluff! Oh no oh no oh no oh no! What am I going to do? I've tried going in there to get it myself, but the Pokemon there keep attacking me! Could someone please help me fetch the heirloom for me? It's really, really important and I can't let my ma find out! It's a small coin, pink in color. Thank you so so much! I'll be waiting at Spinda Cafe. I come around 3 and wait until 4.  
-Smoochum-_

"Poor kid," I said. "If her mom finds out she lost the heirloom, she's going to-" I was interrupted by Treecko playfully drawing his finger across his throat, making crackling static-like noises. I shot him a look before tearing the wonder mail off the board. I scanned it with my badge so it knew what the mission was, and after carefully folding it and placing it in my pouch, we headed off to Drenched Bluff.

The area was rocky, and the air was moist. There's not many places where a physic-type has to be worried, but once we enter spiritual and not physical-type dungeons, Pokemon like Treecko wouldn't have a problem. I would. Luckily, Drenched Bluff seemed like a rather water-type Pokemon-filled space, so Treecko wouldn't be down at a type disadvantage. "Ready?" I asked.

Treecko stood next to me, his yellow eyes scanning the rocky entrance to the bluff. "I... I think so." He said softly. "This... This is my first mission... I don't know... If I can pull it off..."

I placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled at him re-assuringly. "Of _course _you'll be able to pull it off." I said. "We'll work together, and find Smoochum's coin. Yeah?" He smiled weakly, and we walked cautiously into Drenched Bluff.

The first floor was fairly easy. It didn't take a lot of skill to take the Pokemon down, and Treecko had no problem, getting happier as more Pokemon were defeated. The third floor, however, came to us as a shock. We wound around the dungeon looking for the stairs, and Treecko's HP was already down to half. I still had a good three quarters of it left, but we'd have to find Smoochum's coin before we were totally drained. We didn't have any Oran Berries, and every room we looked only seemed to have Blue Gummis and Poke.

By the fourth floor I was famished. The Blue Gummi helped a little, but after a while I started to get hungry again, so Treecko pulled out an apple he had been saving for later and handed it to me. I almost said no, but accepted the apple and bit into it hungrily. After defeating a Corsola and Lilleep, we finally found the next flight of stairs and headed down to find Smoochum's coin resting in one of the fountains. I scooped it up, wiped it and placed it gently in the pouch.

Smoochum jumped up in joy when I handed her the coin. "Oh, thank you!" She cried. "Thankyouthankyouthankyou so much! You have no idea what this means to me! Oh, thank Arceus! The coin means so much to my family, it doesn't even mean this!" In doing so, she had the Sawk standing next to her (who was seemingly dressed in a business coat instead of a karate tunic) hand me a big sack of Poke.

"H-How much is this!" I spluttered, trying to use my Physic to lift up the heavy bag. Treecko just stared at it wistfully.

"Oh, 7000." Smoochum said simply. "It's not much, really." She thanked me and Treecko again, and had the Sawk follow her out of the cafe, walking proudly. We were speechless.

...

"S-S-Seven thousand!" Jigglypuff shrieked as I handed her the bag of Poke. "Oh Arceus! Holy Miltank! What the Politoed, did they really give you all this? Who was it?"

"A Smoochum." I said, after releasing my hands from my ears after Jigglypuff's nasty shriek. "Had a Sawk in a suit next to her. She was cute, but I doubt someone like that can be so rich-"

"Lady Jynx!" Jigglypuff said suddenly. "Oh, she lives in Legenda City. She's extremely rich, and gives out bags of money to those who help her daughter. Arceus, I bet she'll support the whole guild once she finds out you two helped her! Ohgoshohgoshohgosh, I have to tell this to Armaldo and- Oh, right." She opened the bag, pulled out 700 Poke and handed it to us. "There you go. Evening!"

"What!" Treecko gasped, staring at the small amount of money in my hand. "Only 700? What the Giratina, Jigglypuff? Seriously? Awww... Not fair."

Jigglypuff rolled her eyes. "Wait." She commanded, before running into Armaldo's room and coming out a few seconds later, a fake smile plastered on her face. "Well, since you two succeeded in your very first mission that Lady Jynx's daughter gave you, well, I suppose... We could spare you a little more money." Reluctantly, she handed us another 300 poke which made for 1000. Money didn't matter to me, I was overjoyed. But Treecko was already cursing inside his head, yelling to get his 6000 Poke back.

Still muttering, Treecko stalked off to his room angrily before I headed over to talk with Buneary and some others I made friends with. A Mawile with a bright pink ribbon tied to her 'hair', which, of course were her giant set of jaws seemed to talk to me happily. Two hours passed, and soon they had to return home and I managed to convince Treecko to come out for dinner.

"Was your first mission successful?" A Vulpix next to me asked. Her partner, a Bisharp was hungrily glomping down food like he was never going to eat again.

My mouth was crammed with Cornip Soup and bread, so I held up my hand and she smiled as I finished my food. "Sorry," I said. "Yeah, it was. Are you new here? I didn't see you when I joined the guild."

"Yes, we're new." She said, shaking my oily hand. "Team Firesteel. Haha, unoriginal, I know, but Bisharp over there said he 'deserved' it, like he ever deserves anything." The Bisharp at her side looked at us at the mention of his name, crumbs and sauce smeared all over his mouth. Vulpix laughed and shook her paw, making him continued eating.

Treecko was back in his usual mood, and as in usual I mean completely unsociable. I saw a few Pokemon I had seen at town the day I came pointing at him and whispering. Treecko was carefully eating his apple, looking up every few nibbles. I frowned. What was wrong? "Is there a reason why they're bothering you?" I whispered, drinking my Oran Juice at the same time. It was rude, I know, but I couldn't let them see I was talking to them.

He swallowed a mouthful of apple and went for a grass gummi. "They're some of the town kids... They always bully me... I... I'm fine with it. It's not a problem, not like..." _Dusknoir_. The un-evolved Dusclops who called himself Dusknoir, that's who he was trying to say. But I was sure he wasn't fine with it. Why would anyone be fine with being bullied? No, I wouldn't stand up for that.

"Excuse me." I said firmly, talking straight to the Pikachu who was sitting opposite me. I had spotted him eyeing Treecko and sniggering, making soft Torchic noises.

He looked up, and noticed I was talking to him. "Oh, hey." He said, smoothing his fur and winking. _Oh, Arceus. Ew. _"What's up?"

I frowned, then sighed. I didn't talk for a few seconds, checking the expression on his face which seemed to say _"She's too speechless by my awesomeness" _or something like that. I decided to take a chance, laying my chin on top of my hands. I pushed a yellow gummi towards him. "Could I ask you something?"

His face brightened, and I mean literally, brightened. The electric crackled in his eyes as he accepted the gummi. _I'm stupid. Arceus, no, what am I doing? No, no... Gotta do this for Treecko. _Oh, Treecko was staring at me with a very, very disgusted expression. "Sure." The Pikachu said suddenly. Oops, almost forgot about him for a second there. "Ask me whatever you want." The way he said 'whatever'... Arceus, I can't write that down. How many times am I writing Arceus, though?

"Is there a reason you've been bullying this poor Treecko over here so harshly?" He looked taken aback, and opened his mouth as though he was going to snap at me, but relaxed, although his cheeks crackled and his grip on the yellow gummi almost made it explode into a gooey mess.

"...No." He said finally, putting down the gummi and pushing it to an Elekid sitting opposite him, so smiled and grabbed the gummi. "Sorry, miss, but I'll have to say you gotta mind your own business!"

Well, well! Wasn't that rude of him? And when did I become a 'miss'? We finished dinner in silence. Vulpix waved goodnight before heading off to her room, and Pikachu shot me a grudging look, probably wondering whether to get revenge or not. I hoped not. Treecko looked up at me as we entered out room. "You didn't have to do that..." He said softly.

"'Course I did." I said smugly as I settled down into my bed. "Now you'd better get to sleep, 'poor Treecko'." He grunted as he lay down, and I chuckled, grabbing the book about Time Gears and continued to read.

_**Rumor has it that a strange tower embedded in time has fives slots on the higher most pinnacle, slots shaped exactly like Time Gears. No-one know if this is actually true, but another rumor, flying around fast says that... ... ... ...**_

I quickly put the book away before I fell asleep with paper on my face. Time Gears, huh? I wonder... My eyes shut.

...

...  
_"And you... Are coming with ME! Hoo-hoo-ha!" He grabbed the both of them and threw them into the swirling, green and black hole..._

* * *

I ran out of dream ideas, okay! Also, when I wrote the first line of the Time Gear book part, I thought about that Adele song... No, I do not like it. If you DO like it, click the review button and say nothing about it. If you don't like it, do the same thing.


	5. Chapter 5

I have no idea how I'm going to make this cheery thing a dark future. Ohmigosh, Kirlia and Treecko are so happy I CAN'T ruin it! But I have to! *sniffs* Should I save them? No, can't, sorry. Nuuu!

* * *

This time, Whismur finally decided to call our names, but we still had to endure the poking. Once we got our stuff, we went out for morning assembly. Everything was fine and usual, but this time we had a visitor. I mean, for us. Seriously. Dugtrio had us go up to the front of the guild to meet him. "So who do you think this 'visitor' is?" I asked Treecko as we climbed up the staircase.

"I have no idea." He said. The front guild was empty. I looked down to see Diglett shuffling underneath the grate, and it almost re-assured me. But there was no-one to greet us. Was there really a visitor? Maybe Diglett had been mistaken. Maybe... Suddenly, the snap of a branch just saved my life. I dived-bombed to the side, pulling Treecko with me and we got tangled up in the bushes. Dusknoir climbed out of the hedge on the other side. Dusknoir? Oh, no!

"Darn it." He muttered, looking around. "I knew I should've floated." Cursing, he stomped away angrily as Treecko and I pulled ourselves out of the sharp growth and brushed away the twigs and leaves.

"Wh-Wh-What was Dusknoir doing here!" Treecko asked, shaking. "How did he know we joined the guild? How... How..." He was shaking so bad I had him walk inside the guild again and tried to calm him down on the second-lower floor of the guild.

"It's alright, Treecko." I said. "We'll be alright. Please, don't worry."

I could see he wasn't convinced, but he managed to calm down after I got him a glass of water. "But... He knows we're at the guild now." He said, his hands shaking. I took the glass from him before he dropped it. "What if he breaks in here at night? What if he kidnapped us? What if he tortured us until no end..." For a Treecko his age, he sure had a wild imagination. Wild. Very, very wild.

"Did you say break in?" Jigglypuff grinned, walking towards us. Uh-oh. "Sorry mister, no Pokemon's gonna break in here, wall-passing or not. We've got state-of-the-art security systems and anti-ghost bricks if someone tries to phase through a wall unless they're wearing the guild badge. And if someone does break in, I sleep at the top floor of the guild, I'll Hypervoice and send him flying. Then the others will come and capture him. _Capiche_?"

I nod, but Treecko just looks at her. Capiche? "Th-Thank you, Jigglypuff." I said, forcing a weak smile. She nodded and walked off. "Everything's fine, see? And back then at Drenched Bluff, you fought pretty well. You're not strong, that I know, Treecko. You'll be fine. Dusknoir can't harm us."

"Okay..." He murmured.

"How about we go train at Marowak Dojo?" I suggested. "I heard it just opened recently and is free for anyone to train there. Do you want to go?"

"Okay." He repeated. "Let's go."

We passed 4 training-dungeons! Yes. It was only 3 floors, really, but the opponents were still tough, but luckily Marowak handed us Oran Berries and Heal Seeds after every fight. We upped our levels by about three, and re-stocked our supplies for the missions tomorrow. "It's still early." I said as we were heading back to the guild.

Treecko looked up at the sky. It was still blue, slightly cloudy, and the sun hadn't set just yet. It was probably only 5. "Oh, yeah." He said. "Do you think we still have time for a mission?"

"Of course!" I said happily. Yes, he's finally gotten his attitude back. "Let's do a quick one, so we can get back to dinner in time." We passed Vulpix and Bisharp on the way. We quickly scanned the first mission we could find that seemed easy and ran off to the dungeon to get it done. It was on the third floor of Beach Cave, so we figured it would only take us about 20 minutes.

"So, what's our mission again?" Treecko asked as we sneaked past a sleeping Shelder and another exploration team. I managed to pull out the Wonder Mail as we found the staircase and clambered down.

"Huh... Please find me, 3rd floor." I read. "That's weird. It didn't really say much or anything... And the Wonder Code is... How did the badge scan this? Oh well." I stuffed it back in my pouch as we finally descended to the 3rd floor.

There sat, in the room we came out in, a Ghastly. "You're here." He said grimly. Treecko and I exchanged looks. "Finally. Thought this place was timeless. Come on."

"Aren't we supposed to rescue you?" I asked as the Ghastly floated forward, running after him. "We rescue Pokemon. Isn't that what you sent out?"

"No." The Ghastly said irritably as he descended down the next flight of stairs that took them into the Beach Cave Pit. "Ah, here we are. No where's the-" He paused and he flew towards the sea pouring in from the open cave, looking down into the water until he found what he wanted. "Here it is." With a strong physic, he lifted up the item in the water, a soggy piece of paper with a metal coating.

"What is it?" Treecko asked as he examined the paper. It was wet and would be easy to tear, but the smooth metal coating had kept it preserved and un-paper-mache'd. "Is it a map? It looks kind of cool."

"Oh, indeed." The Ghastly grinned, almost evilly looking to me. He spread open the map which turned out to be a letter with drawings. Well, I guess it was a map in one way or the other.

_Hahah, there it is. One lake, two lakes, on top, at the bottom, I've taken them all. The darkness is coming in much more quickly than I imagined! Oh, joy, joy, joy. Well, for us, that is. If you're reading this, the collapse of the tower is well underway. Hoo-hoo-ha!_

"What's that supposed to mean?" Treecko asked as he let go of the piece of paper. "What did he take? What did me mean by tower? And darkness? And for you?"

"Questions, questions." The Ghastly tutted. "Too many. Gladly, he's evolved. His boss certainly pays him well, no? Yes, well, well underway. He also has his mind set on the... Well, 'construction', I'd like to call it. Our new world is slowly forming. Wonderful!" He paused to check the expressions on our faces. "Glad to see you're not taking it. Well, at least I've given you a jump start. He allowed it, since you two are so weak and poor. Oh, and Kirlia... Nice world you just got into."

"Wait, what?" Oh no, how did he know I traveled worlds? No, that's not possible! I don't even know if I did! But I must have, right? Before I could stop him, a gigantic black and blue hole opened behind him, and he backflipped (Ghastlies can backflip?) into it. Treecko stood next to me, stunned. I only managed to touch the fabric of the whirling image before it disappeared into nothingness. The hole... I saw it before. In my dream.

I'm not sure how much more I can take it. That Ghastly - Yes, I knew when I saw him I got this horrible feeling in my gut. Where did he just jump into? I had to find out. But Treecko was breathing heavily and that meant I had to take him back to the guild as quickly as possible. I had to, but I couldn't. I was ready for confession, that I never really was from the world, where I came from the one they lived...

Humans.

How long had I spent my time here? A week? Two? I almost couldn't believe it myself, but Treecko... Could he take it? He was already sobbing so badly I couldn't take a chance. Suddenly there was a loud roar of a wave and a shrill scream. Treecko and I stumbled and ran out of Beach Cave to see a heavily damaged body lying on the sand, coughing. It was... No. A girl. A human girl!

* * *

Dun-Dun-Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun!  
Look who's back to her old cliffies. :3 Or so.


	6. Chapter 6

Won't say anything here except that I do not own Pokemon or Mystery Dungeon. Or the plot, somewhat. It'll ruin the mood, so I guess I'd better start writing...

**Angel-Of-Energy  
**OuO Thank you so much! Yeah, it's, ahem, very, very confusing. It'll even out.

* * *

Treecko was staring at the body in shock. No, how can I put it? I can't describe a person that's living and breathing (maybe not so much) a 'body'. But yes, it was a human girl's body. We stood for a while, staring, until I finally decided to go wake her up. "Kirlia, what are you doing?" Treecko asked. "We don't... We don't know what that is."

I was kneeling down at the girl's side. "But... We can't leave her here." I said. "She must've been washed up. Treecko, we have to help her." I know nothing about how to rescue people that have almost drowned, and human or not, I was bringing her to the guild. "Come on, Treecko."

"But..." He closed his mouth and stood her up, carrying her legs as I lifted her back with my Physic.

...

The guild was shocked. At first, Armaldo disappeared with her for a few minutes in his room, then called Jigglypuff in, then called Chansey from the hospital and finally, an hour later, called us in. The girl lay down on a rather itchy-looking straw bed with blood-soaked bandages wrapped all over her. Her face was pale and lips blue. _She wasn't going to die, was she?_

No. Treecko and I sat in front of her, me praying, constantly shaking her arm just in case she would wake up. Jigglypuff and Armaldo sat in another corner of the room, discussing something. Chansey kept checking her and giving her tests, wiping her sweat or replacing her bandages. A few minutes later, she took a deep breath and her eyelids fluttered.

My heart jumped. _She was going to make it! Wasn't she? _I looked at Treecko, who was staring down at her intensely with his yellow eyes. She started breathing harder, and I almost made a run for Chansey, but Treecko pulled me down and said that her breathing was smoothing down again. Soon, she was starting to breathe normally again, and I relaxed. She would be fine.

She groaned as she opened her eyes. "Wh..." She got up, rubbing her head. "Wh-Where am I...? Oh, did you save me?"

Something clicked in my mind. I remembered having a human companion before I came to this world. It wasn't her, but... She looked familiar. Something else told me to keep my mouth shut. Treecko introduced himself to her, but she just smiled and said 'thank you' again.

Oh, yeah. I forgot. Humans can't understand us. Treecko looked at me questioningly, and I brought everyone to the side and tried to explain while the girl sat and started unwrapping her bandages. "How do you know so much?" Treecko asked as I finished talking.

... Darn.

I (somewhat) skilfully managed to avoid the question and went to the girl, drawing the word NAME in the air with a purple glow. "Oh, you can spell!" She said gleefully, clapping her hands. "You must have a very strong trainer. My name's May. Nice to meet you."

She held out her hand. I shook it, and she beamed, clapping again. But my trainer... If she looked so familiar, why wasn't she? No, perhaps I knew her, but that world skip made me forget everything else. May looked around and got up. "Okay, I'd better get going now." She said. "I have no idea where I am, and I'd better get back to Canalave City before he beats me to it. I'll just thank your trainer and leave, okay?"

She stood up and walked to the door, but I rushed in and blocked her. _"No, you can't!" _I gasped. Oh, telepathy. Cool

May looked at me. "You can use telepathy." She said, less impressed than before. "Well, I guess that's cool, but I really have to find a ship and get out of here. Why not?"

_"You can't get back to your city," _I told her, feeling panicky. Oh no! What did I just say? May bit her lip, but repeated the question. _"You just can't." _I cringed. _"Someone saved you and had you washed up here. In this world. There are no humans here, May. I used to belong in a world where there were humans, but I'm happy here, too. Pokemon here don't know a thing about humans, or that they even exist. You'll be dead before you manage to leave. I... I'm so sorry."_

"Ah." She said, her face turning pale like when I first saw her. Oh no, oh no, oh no. Did she take it that well? Was that really just a simple reply I just heard? "I... See."

I slumped to the ground, May staring at her pink, mud-stained boots. This girl, how did she get here? She must've been leading a wonderful life before she got stuck here... How did she fall into the ocean, anyway? But the Pokemon that saved her, it must've opened a portal that led her to this world...

"Kirlia, take her to Xatu." Armaldo said suddenly, coming towards me. "He should... He should be able to help." he paused and pulled something out of a box behind him, a blue and green gem. "I always wondered what this was. Torkoal, he told me, was that is was an Earth Gem. I haven't the slightest idea what or where Earth is, but perhaps Xatu does. Take her to him, Kirlia. He will help."

I took the Earth Gem, my hands shaking. Was I to escort this human girl back to her own planet, to her world? I shot a quick look at Treecko, and he was trembling, clutching the strap of his Treasure Bag. "Treecko..." I sighed. "I'm sorry."

He blinked. Blinked again. Although I hadn't said it, he reluctantly let himself know that I was from the human world too, and wished to escort May there and stay there. "I... I'll go to Xatu." He sobbed, wiping his eyes. "At least... I'll be able to say good-bye."

Oh... He was so sweet. I drew him into a hug. "Don't worry, Treecko." I said. "Everything will be fine, okay? Stay here. You can watch us from the stars." I felt tears down my back, so I let him go and smiled. "So behave, okay?" He nodded glumly as I saluted Armaldo, and told May my plan.

She nodded slowly. "Well, okay. If that's what you think." She said. "I hope... I hope you'll be able to come here again. Be with your friends." I wiped my eye. I wish... I wish I could.

I teleported to the dungeon entrance, bringing May with me. Treecko and the others would remain at the guild. As I saw Chansey clattering down the stairs with her bag full of medicine, I took a deep breath and signalled May to follow me to Xatu's domain.

...

The bird Pokemon stood, tall and feathery, staring at the Sun. Ouch. Did he do that all day? I opened my mouth to call his name, but then I remembered a tale told long ago where two rescuers took a while to get Xatu's attention. Tickling worked back then, but I wondered what attacking would do? No, I couldn't hurt him, and my power wouldn't be very effective. Lost in thought, I failed to hear May shout something as a red and white blur zoomed towards Xatu, enveloping him in red light.

May held a small Voltorb-looking ball in her hands and grinned. "Xatu are pretty cool." She said, releasing him from the ball. He looked dazed for a while, then straightened.

"The thing isn't as cramped as I expected." He commented suddenly, chuckling. "Ah, Kirlia. And you, human. Are you to return to your own world? Back in the past?"

He knew. But the past, what...? "Yes, please." I said, forgetting it. "Oh, and maybe you could use this." I handed Xatu the Earth Gem, which was now glowing brightly.

"Ah, the Earth Gem!" he said, looking at it and raising his eyebrows. Do Xatu have eyebrows? "Thank you, Kirlia. This should help a lot. Are you ready?"

"Ready!" May said. That's weird, how did she understand him? Maybe he was using telepathy at the same time he was talking. Wow! That must've required a lot of energy, but he didn't look frazzled at all. Hm.

"Ready." I nodded, closing my eyes. I heard Xatu's loud roar (roar?) as I felt myself getting warmer, being lifted up, getting brighter. I felt May's presence, still there, but she was already unconscious. Did I dare risk opening my eyes? It was getting brighter and brighter, and I decided not to. After a while I managed to concentrate enough to use my telepathy, but I barely managed to utter a thought before we were pushed forward and everything turned dark.

...

Treecko stood at the edge of the cliff, looking up at the red evening sky. _Did they make it? _He thought. _I hope so. _He sighed and looked down, making patterns with his feet by trailing it around the sand. "...I'm going to miss her."

"Oh my, looks like you're alone!" Treecko gasped, looking up and turning around to see the ghostly shadow of someone advancing towards him. "Well, well, that's too bad, isn't it? Looks like your girlfriend isn't here to protect you! Hoo-hoo-ha-hoo-ha!"

_That laugh!_ All of a sudden two large hands came down at him as the Treecko's world turned dark. "!"

* * *

NUU! TREECKO! Also, I wrote all of that in one sitting. Oh noes, what's going to happen next!


	7. Chapter 7

Wuh-oh. Oh no no no, looks like Treecko's in trouble! *sigh*. I have no idea how to move the plot right now, but I'll try my best. Also, no relation to the story, but I finally confirmed that Princess Bubblegum and Starfire are voiced by the same person. I knew it! Sorry for the un-relativeness there.

* * *

There was a soft thump as I hit the ground. Ouch! May landed next to me, still unconsious. I got up and looked around. We were in a forest, shafts of light filtering through the tree branches. _"May, wake up!" _I called telepathically, shaking her arm. Her eyes fluttered and she blinked a few times before getting up and groaning.

"Ow, Xatu's a real mean transporter." She chuckled, rubbing her back, then getting up. She pulled out a map out of her bag. "Oh, so we've ended up in Eterna Forest." She put away the map and shook my hand. "Well, I hope you find your trainer. If you want, we could always board a ship to other regions and look for him."

_"No. Please don't put yourself through all the trouble for me. Besides..." _I paused and took a deep breath, glowing slightly, then breathed out. _"I think I can sense him here. Please, go enjoy yourself."_

May smiled. "Alright. Have fun." She tightened her bag strap and scarf, and set off, leaving me standing alone in the forest. Now what was I supposed to do? Maybe I could find a place where I could stay until I found my trainer... No. I had felt him just a moment ago. I have no idea how he looks like or his gender, but his aura had to be the- He's (or she's?) getting closer. (S)He's nearby. I can feel him/her.

I back slightly, as a trainer bolted out of the woods, carrying a bug net and wearing a big straw hat, crying. As I was about to step over to investigate, an older, mean-looking boy with spiky purple hair stepped out of the bushes. "Kheh. That should serve him right." He grinned, bouncing a red and white ball in his hand. He was about to turn and walk away before he noticed me.

I froze. He came towards me, speechless. He looked at the scarf I was wearing, frowned, then noticed the pouch. I gasped as he snatched it away from me, the string tying it snapping. I tried to be patient. "...Kirlia." He said suddenly, turning towards me, and for a moment, I almost saw the joy flicker in his eyes, but it died away before I could be sure. "Glad to see you're back. Now into your Pokeball."

He held out this 'pokeball' and sucked me into it. For a moment all I saw was a blinding red flash, and then I was sitting in an empty container with a transparent roof. I still saw my trainer's hand curved around the ball. Whoa, did I just shrink? I guess the was funny, but now I was cramped and stuffed together next to the other Pokeballs in his belt.

A Haunter, I now noticed smirked at me. He communicated telepathically. _"Sorry about the mind speech, babycakes."_ He said. Oh Arceus! Did he just call me babycakes! _"Pokeballs don't provide sound holes for real speech, you know? And don't worry about Zane. He's a real tight fighter, but he loves his Pokemon all the same. Just don't let him catch you mouthing that off, though." _With that, he stretched his hands (well, he didn't have any arms), and curled up into a now non-floating purple ball and settled on the bottom of the cage.

A cage. Was this my new yet old life? Had I been like this the whole time? Was there no time, that I, as a Ralts, could wander free through the fields and play? I bit my lip. Battle and sleep. Humans... They cared, but this wasn't exactly my cup of tea.

...

"Let. Me. GO!" Treecko screamed, bursting out of the Sableye's grip and running away. Dusknoir caught him easily and pulled him back to the post and tied him up. Treecko looked up and gasped. "...You evolved." He said softly.

Dusknoir's one red eye glowed. "Oh, yes indeed." He said, somehow smiling grimly. He grabbed Treecko's shoulders. "And today, you will end."

"Leave me alone!" Treecko wailed, shooting out a Leaf Blade from his tied position. However, it was weak and it merely left a scratch on Dusknoir's powerful ghost body.

He laughed. "Poor, poor Treecko." He mocked. His grip tightened and Treecko gasped in pain. "When I'm finished with you, the Kirlia will come next. Poor, poor Kirlia."

"I said, LEAVE ME ALONE!" Dusknoir gasped as the small body in front of him fired up and started to glow.

...

Horrible. Can't talk. Too tired. Over the next few months or so, I had to miserably force myself to put up with my 'loving trainer'. Zane would push and yell and kick us if we didn't fight well enough. Was this really the life I had gone through as a Ralts? Haunter looked at me apologetically. "Sorry..." He murmured.

Weeks passed, and I was getting weaker instead of stronger. I no longer felt the burst of energy as I did when I was with Treecko. Haunter gave mild support, but as a Kirlia and Zane's Pokemon, I was to take care of him and protect him from danger. Haunter would always step (float) in to stop me from getting hurt, but Zane would just yell and force his other Pokemon to battle.

Haunter and I were out of our Pokeballs, in case a wild Pokemon decided to pop out and attack Zane. It was tiring, and the snow-covered mountain didn't help very much. Haunter, however, kept going on and refused to see me go down. For a fleeting moment, I almost felt the energy, but it disappeared. Maybe forever. I don't know.

Suddenly there was a low growling sound, and Zane stepped backwards. I looked up to see a Ninetails staring down harshly at us. _"How DARE you trespass my territory, human!" _She growled telepathically, and with the look on Zane's face I figured he had heard her voice, too. Ninetails, huh... I think I'd heard something that if you touched one of it's nine tails (nice pun there, name creater), it would release a powerful curse on you.

"Oh, I think I see what's going on." Zane said, grinning, something that made my stomach churn. "I've heard that if someone touches one of your tails, you'll put a curse on him, eh? Why don't we test that little hypothesis of yours?" Anger flickered in the Ninetail's red eyes.

_"That isn't a very good idea." _I told him telepathically.

"Keh, what's the worst that could happen? I'll get _cursed_? Kekeke! Right, like that's gonna happen."

_"You'd best heed your partner's warning."_ We all turned to see that Ninetales had spoken through telepathy, as well. _"If you do not, you may suffer a rather unfortunate fate." _I gulped. Oh no, oh no, oh no.

"Oh, cool." He grinned. "You really must be, kheh, what adults call 'wise' these days. Stupid. Alright, looks like I'm going to add you the the party, Nines!" He held up an empty Pokeball.

Haunter gasped. _"Zane, no! What are you doing? Don't!"_

He ignored him and had me step out. I took a deep breath. The legendary Ninetails, huh? That's who I was about to fight? _"I'm sorry." _I started as I fired an attack, feeling the sudden power inside me grow. The purple power in my hands grew bigger. There was a quick flash of light until I realized that I was now looking down at the Ninetails.

Haunter grinned at my side. "Congrats, Kirlia... I mean, Gardevoir." Gardevoir. I looked down at my new-formed body. I had always dreamed about evolving, and how happy and grown-up I would feel. But now... I didn't feel anything. Zane was looking at me impatiently, obviously ignoring my evolution. I sighed and got ready my attack, but before I could launch it, Ninetails' eyes locked with mine and I was paralyzed as I fell to the snow.

I couldn't move, and it was hard to breathe, like all the snow had piled up on it was... Comforting, at the same time. I could lie down. Feel cold. Torture. Am I crazy? Ninetails frowned as she released her gaze from me and turned it to Zane. _"Human, do you actually care about your Pokemon?"_

Oh no. Haunter had said... He had said Zane was loving, but now I could see it was a sarcastic joke, and he was taken aback by the sudden question. "Heh?"

_"You heard me. Your partners. They fight for you. They protect you. They follow your every command… Yet what have you given them in return? I have been watching you since you began making your way here. All I have seen you do in return is mock them and taunt them as_ if_ you were so superior. And they do nothing in their defense. What have you to say for that?"_

"Keh! What is there to say?" He spat in nervous irritation. "I _am_ superior to them! I'm their trainer! That's why they follow _my_ commands! And I don't _have_ to give anything in return! They have an obligation as my Pokémon to do whatever I tell them to do! Simple as that! Now, stop lecturing me and fight like you're supposed to!" He glared to me, standing behind him. "Get out there already, Haunter!"

I slowly managed to move slightly as Haunter reluctantly floated to face Ninetails. _"No, wait..."_ I moaned, struggling to get up. It hurt. Everywhere.

Ninetails glared at me before turning back to Zane. _"How dare you. What makes you think you can so rightfully go wherever you wish and so arrogantly do as you please, without any regard to those around you? You don't even have the decency to repay your own partners with the gratitude and respect they deserve, even after all they have done for you. You are a disgrace to mankind. People like you should never exist in this world. You will be punished most severely for your twisted heart…"_

My hands were starting to feel clammy and cold, but not because of the snow. _"Please, don't, I beg of you."_ I cried, wobbling towards Zane. He gasped slightly as I stepped in front of him, Haunter backing away to cry. I almost wished Ninetails would just place her silly curse. Why couldn't she do that? Right now? But Zane was my trainer, and I had to protect him. _"__…I know that he is a mean, cruel person…but I beg of you, show him mercy. There is hope for him, I can assure you. I have seen the potential goodness in him… He will change for the better in time. I promise he will! Just, please…give him a chance…"_

Ninetails simply looked amused at my plea. She looked at me for a long, long time. _"You protect him still with such dedication, even though he has shown you no returning kindness? Why is that?"_

I almost burst into tears. I wanted to run away and hide, but no, I couldn't. _"He..." _I paused. _"He is my dear friend..."_

After another moment's hesitation, Ninetales nodded. _"You must have obviously seen something in him that I could not, and I will trust your judgment. For your steadfast dedication, I shall show mercy."_ She turned back to Zane. _"Thanks to your friend, you have been spared. I hope you take her generous kindness to heart."_ She turned her back to us and gave him one final warning. _"Now, leave this place at once. I can only hope that, after this incident, you will find the gratitude that your heart is missing and change your ways for the better."_

I breathed out in relief, but Haunter cursed. I mean swore. He doesn't have the move yet. Apparently he didn't like the idea of Zane going without punishment. It's true, he... He needed some sort of punishment, after his terrible behaviour. But not one from Ninetails. I couldn't risk it. Who knew what she'd do to him? Zane look miserable as he walked past me, trudging through the thick snow. Haunter still hadn't had enough.

I sucked in air quickly when I remembered what he told me a week ago. "I wish he's just go away." He had said, looking down at the grass. "It'll be nice to know that once he's gone, we can live happily... I can't take it anymore."

I paced away quickly, praying nothing of the sort happened. But I hadn't walked far away enough before I heard a loud THUD, and a shrill roar. I whirled to see Ninetails hissing at Zane, who was kneeling down on the snow, his hand on one of her tails. Oh no, oh no! Haunter fluttered weakly behind him, his purple face white. I caught his gaze, but he looked away shamefully.

Ninetails' eyes glowed red as she yelled (or thought) furiously _"YOU FOOL! How dare you place your filthy hand one my gorgeous tails!"_

Did she just say gorgeous? "I-It wasn't me!" Zane stammered, frantically releasing his grip on her tail and backing away. "I swear it wasn't me, I-I didn't mean to it-"

_"SILENCE!" _Ninetails roared. _"I mercifully spare your pitiful life, and this is how you repay me? You shall suffer my curse for your insolence!"_

Zane's eyes widened in horror as Ninetails' eyes glowed even more red. How red could it get? A frighteningly aura surrounded her as her tails and bangs were lifted into the air. The aura shot towards Zane. "NO!" I screamed. Fright hung in Haunter's expression, but he clearly wasn't going to step in. What was I going to do? What was I going to... Wait.

...

"Gardevoir!" I heard Haunter's voice yell as he sped towards me, shaking my arm. It didn't hurt, actually. I just felt... Peaceful. Was this it? The end of my life? I heard soft footsteps. My vision was blurring, and my body felt lighter, but Haunter was still shaking my arm and yelling at Ninetails, so I must've still been alive.

"I cannot cancel the curse once it has fallen upon a victim. The human, however, can.' She turned to face where he should have been. 'Do you wish to save…"

But she stopped speaking. It hurt to turn my head, so I just glanced in that direction. Worries departed from my head. Maybe I could just lie down... Wait a minute... Did I... Zane? He was running at full speed until he was just a tiny purple dot in the distance. Haunter started yelling his name and swearing, but I just lay there. Zane... Running. Maybe he was trying to save himself? Yeah, save yourself, Zane. While you can. Ugh. It's kind of exhausting to do nothing, even, you know?

I felt lighter. Whiteness enveloped me. A spear of darkness came towards me, and I could do nothing but close my eyes.

...

"What happened to her? Where did she go?"

"Her spirit… It has been separated from her body."

"It… It was separated…? So, then…she is _dead_?"

"In a way, yes. But not quite. Her body is merely locked away in a mystery dungeon, somewhere in this region. Until her body is freed, her spirit will wander on its own for a thousand years, and it can never reunite with the body until then."

Haunter froze in shock, but managed to keep on talking. "Then, I will free her! Just tell me where she can be found!"

She shook her head. "I am afraid it is not that simple. You will be unable to free her, no matter what you do, no matter how hard you try."

He jerked back. "Wha… What do you mean?"

"The curse I had laid was upon the human's twisted heart. He is the only one capable of freeing Gardevoir. However, in order for the curse to be broken, his heart must first gain what it is missing. Then, and only then, will Gardevoir be freed." She said as though this was something everybody ought to know.

_So_, he thought, _only he could save her…_Haunter was rapidly losing hope. "And what exactly is his heart missing?" He asked without any hint of enthusiasm.

"…Gratitude."

"But he is such a selfish, uncaring being! Someone like him would never gain something like gratitude in his wretched heart! Gardevoir will be trapped forever this way!"

Ninetales stared at him for a long moment, and then lowered her head apologetically. "I am truly sorry… All you can do now is hope that he really does change, as Gardevoir predicts." She looked in the direction in which Zane fled. "Change… There is one change he will make that I can predict. That human will one day be reborn as a Pokemon… And when that human becomes a Pokemon… The world's balance will be upset… I can see it… Natural disasters will begin to occur all over the world. They will occur much more often than they normally should. And eventually…the world may even be destroyed."

...

I heard the conversation. Well, Ninetails' last sentence, anyway. Would the pokemon world really be destroyed? Treecko... No! I had to stop it somehow. I could see Zane running in my mind, collapsing, dying... Turning into a Gengar. Oh, a Gengar. Wow. No! I had to focus. Save Gengar as well as the world's demise. Somehow.

I could feel his presence. I was slowly sinking back to the Pokemon world again, and I had to warn somebody before I disappeared, but who? Ah!

May! Something in the whiteness opened up like a window, and I saw her jump off the edge of a cliff to save a Skitty. No! I had to save her before I was gone! I rushed to the scene, still a spirit, at the spot where her corpse might have been at any moment now. I focused. I had to save her, I had to...

...

"Wh..." May opened her eyes. "Where am I? Am I dead?"

_"No. You are currently hovering between the living and the world of the dead, and in the middle, hung by a single thread is the Pokemon World."_

"Oh!" May's eyes widened as she tried to float closer towards the voice. "Wait a minute... How am I supposed to help? What's going on here?"

_"Let me explain. For, you see, the world of Pokémon is in grave danger. It has been predicted that a falling star is headed toward our world. The world's balance is becoming increasingly upset from it, and if the star is not destroyed soon…then the world will be."_

"What!" She gasped, falling backwards and waving her arms around. "That's terrible!"

"_Yes, it is… That's why I have to find a hero, one that can help save our world, one that knows no fear."_

"Oh! Can I help? I've travelled all around Sinnoh and Hoenn." She said, with persuasion I had to admire. "I know everyone. I can got for Kanto and Johto too. I'll help you find your hero."

There was a laugh. "_That is why I have come to you. I believe it is you who was meant to be our hero."_

May jumped in shock as she fell over again and did a mid-air cartwheel. "What! M-Me!" She stammered after she had managed to righten herself. "But I can't... I can't save the world. I'm not that strong."

_"Being strong isn't an option. Do you see that?" _Something pointed at the Skitty in May's arms, gesturing her to look down at the small pink flame.

"Skitty! What happened to her?"

_"She is still in the waking world, unconsious, next to your body. Her consious soul remains here."_

"Oh. B-But... I can't... I can't be brave. I mean... I... I can battle, sure, no problem, but..." She stopped talking, unsure of what to say next.

_"__I've seen your bravery myself. Just a moment ago. If you had not jumped without hesitation after this Skitty to save him from the fall, she surely would have died. Almost anyone else would have never been brave enough to risk their own lives doing what you just did in a split-second's notice. That is why I believe you are the hero I- We seek."_

"If that's the case..." May looked uncomfortable. "Well, if I was really chosen to be the hero of your world, I think... I think I'd like to be proven first."

_"How, do you suggest, we test you?"_

May thought for a while. "Can you erase memories?"

There was a pause. _"Yes... Yes."_

"Then that will be my test." May said firmly, then sighing. "I... I won't know these hardships until I face them."

She felt eyes on her. _"You want me to erase your memory?"_

"To clear my heart and mind. I'll have too many distractions if all I can think about is my life now. My family, my friends… I'll be too worried about them when I'm gone… And all the hardships I've been going through here… Those are bad enough distractions as it is… If you can erase my memory, then not only will I be free from the distractions of this life, but it would also test my true character. And only if I am found to be truly worthy…should I be told the truth."

_"I see... I guess that would be a suitable test... But... Are you sure you want me to do this?"_

May nodded. "Yeah."

_"If that's your wish... But take my warning. As you enter the barrier of the Pokemon World through force, you will have to be changed into a Pokemon as well until someone changes you back. Is that okay?"_

"Hey, that's cool!" May grinned. "Go ahead, I'm ready."

_"...Very well."_

May held her breath as a bright light started to envelope her. She felt nervous, but ready. And besides, the voice seemed warm and familliar. She looked down as the wisps of pink aura started to deplete. _"Your Skitty is waking up now. She'll be fine. Half your soul will be here, but your body in your world will still be alive... Also, good luck."_

"Thanks." All turned dark as she was pushed forward to the thin burst between the two worlds.

...

I stared at the girl going down into the seam of the Pokemon World. What did I just do? It's true, our world needed saving. But I could no longer be there for her. I was now a spirit, cursed to be stuck like this until Zane... I mean, Gengar came... What could I do? Wait. I longed to see Treecko and how he was doing, remembering my first day here. But I couldn't.

My eyelids weighed down, and the whiteness around me started to darken. I was finally sinking away into the Pokemon World, where my body would lie in... I don't know. But I'd have to guide May through this hopeless world.

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OH... MY... GOD...  
That was so much writing. WHEW! And no, I did not get Zane's name from my friend, Ryan Zidane. XD Hmm, looks like the PMD2 story is turning into PMD1. No worries. This is a Treecko-and-Kirlia story, so I'll be skipping the game line. If you want to know what happens during that time, go check my dA account.  
Now, I would very appreciate muchie if you clicked that button at the bottom of this page that says review.


	8. Chapter 8

Okay... Anyways, I'm going to skip the PMD1 storyline. If you want to read it, I could make a new fanfiction or you could check my dA account. ONWARDS!

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"Wh-What happened?" I looked down into the tear-filled eyes of a Gengar. "Zane, is that you...?"

"Yeah..." He muttered, wiping his eye, then giving me a look that said _I'm not crying, okay? _"May left a while ago, since you took some time getting up. This is my base and..." His voice trailed off.

I bent down and hugged him. "Don't worry, I forgive you." I said, feeling something I had felt a few months ago. Slowly, he hugged me back, and I realized there was a strong stench of pink gummis.

I released him from the hug, and took a whiff of my scarf. It still smelt like pink gummis. Gengar looked at me curiously, and I burst out laughing. He smelt like pink gummis too! I wiped my eyes and he grinned.

"Wait a minute, you know May?" I asked, his sentence finally settling in.

"Yeah, she was a human." Gengar said nonchalantly, shrugging. "Doing her stuff."

"Where is she?"

Gengar thought for a while. "Umm... Sky Tower, I think."

"Oh."

"Ugeh! I almost forgot!" He cried, flailing his stubby arms about. "Just wait here, okay?" He ordered, and I felt the strong threaten from when he was still human. Now it just made me laugh. "Don't laugh! I'll be right back!"

He dashed off, leaving me alone in the base. _That's weird... I have a feeling something very, very bad is about to happen._

...

"NOOOO!" The Skitty looked up at the falling star descending towards the ground. On her left, a Totodile. He had been beaten furiously in attempt to convince the Rayquaza that now lay behind him. Parts of his body were cut up and blood lay over the cloudy floor. _What have I done! _The Skitty looked down from the edge of the clouds to see the star getting smaller... Closer to the town. _I've failed... I've disappointed everyone... Now they're all going to die, because of me!_

_I'm going to die as well. Totodile, my friend... I'm so sorry. After all this hard work, it has to end like this. You've worked so hard. You deserve to rest... Please, sleep well. _The Skitty took a deep breath and watched the ground come closer towards her as she lunged forward. _Maybe this way, maybe... I won't have to feel the pain._

The star neared the ground. So did she. There was a loud explosion as the two rocks and the body hit.

...

_Five months later..._

"Treecko!" I yelled, running around. "Where are you!" It was dark everywhere. Withered trees stood and rocks floated in the cold air. Where was everybody? Why was it so dark? I bit my lip and advanced forward, and turned direction when I saw a curl of smoke coming from the West.

First I saw a fire from behind the rocks, but as I neared I saw a familiar green body and... A treasure bag! It was worn out and was patched here and there... It couldn't be. But it was... "Treecko?"

He looked up at me in shock as I looked back into his now yellow-orange eyes. "Kirl- Gardevoir...?" That was his voice, no mistaking it, although it had deepened slightly. He was... He was a Grovyle now?

"Wh-When did this happen?" I asked, slowly walking towards him. I noticed he was scratched and bruised all over. "And... Uh, when did that happen?"

He looked down at one of the scars. "Um... I... I evolved... When, uh, Dusknoir captured me." He scowled. I've... I've never seen him scowl.

"Dusknoir captured you!" I gasped. "Wh-When!"

He merely looked irritated. Was it something I said. "A... A month ago." He murmured. "Supposedly something made someone so twisted and horrible it led to this world's destruction... And now... The time is frozen."

I paused, and looked around. Time was frozen? Was that why it was so dark? Day would never come? No... I-It couldn't be! And the twisted and horrible person... No, it wasn't Zane! I mean, Gengar. It couldn't be! But... Someone made him like that? Oh, no... "Wh-What else happened while...?" I stopped before I said 'while I was gone'.

"A Skitty called May practically saved the world from Groudon, Kyogre, Lugia, Ho-Oh..." He mumbled, then grinned as his yellow eyes met mine. "I think you remember her. Whoever changed her into a Pokemon, I salute."

I smiled. No, I shan't tell him that. Maybe not now. Maybe later. Maybe next time... "But something happened." Grovyle added as the happy thoughts evaporated from his head. "She and her partner climbed Sky Tower to see Rayquaza about a falling star." I bit my lip. "Apparently... They managed to reason with him, but his beam was so strong, Rayquaza's throat, and her partner who was standing too close were killed... May managed to evade the beam after she was rescued by someone. But it seemed the beam needed something to blow off the star and..."

He stopped talking, and I didn't have to guess. The star had touched the land, and most of the Pokemon living nearby had been killed. It was lucky I was far away, but... This was horrible. Tears started pouring down my cheeks. Grovyle... Amarldo, Jigglypuff, Vulpix, Bisharp, all my other dear friends... And May. This is all my fault. I should've appointed someone stronger to be with her, and I should've found that item that the star needed to...

Grovyle seemed to notice my sadness. "I'm not giving up, though." He said firmly. "I've heard that May has met a Celebi before. Celebi have the power to time-travel. I've heard that most of the Celebi escaped to the past to live a happy life for a while before this happens, but one shiny Celebi has stayed here to do what she can to stop this darkness."

"Th-That's great." I said, sniffing. "We should... We should find her."

Grovyle stared at the ground for a moment. He didn't seem right. He wasn't the carefree Treecko I had known before. He'd hardened. Very much. "So there's... No-one left?"

"Oh, sure there are." Grovyle said. Hope burned slightly, but it disappeared when I saw the grim look in Grovyle's eyes. "They're all servants for Dusknoir, his minions and his... Master."

"Well, then let's go find Celebi." I said. He looked at me for a while, then put out the fire and followed me. It took us an hour to walk around the dark landscape. We drank from frozen pools of water. No, not ice-frozen. A stream of water hung in mid-air. It would look cool if it wasn't so dark.

I stepped in something and screamed. A Skitty's body! No, no, no! Grovyle stared at the torn pieces of flesh in shock. "May!" I cried. "I'm so sorry..."

Grovyle picked the remains up and I winced as blood smeared his claw. "Take the body, Gardevoir." He ordered. "I can sense her core. She's not exactly alive, but her soul's still there for the time being. You can help it survive for a while until we find Celebi."

Reluctantly, I took the body. Surprisingly, it was warm instead of the cold corpse I had expected it to be. I saw a small pink light glowing from inside, and it was fading. "She'll die if we don't get her to Celebi quickly."

A tear formed at my eye. Grovyle was so concerned about her. But how could I tell him that if she died here she would simply awaken with injuries back in her world?

We managed to get to Dusk Forest. This place... Where had I seen it before? I haven't exactly been here in the flesh, but... It looks like I'd seen it before. The body in my hand was starting to grow colder. "Grovyle..."

He tensed, then yelled "CELEBI!"

At first there was nothing, but slowly, a tiny glowing dot formed in front of us. It grew bigger and bigger until a small pink figure stepped out, rubbing her eyes. "Geez, what is it n-" She noticed Grovyle and squealed. "OH, HI!"

He rolled his eyes. "You're Celebi, right?"

The little pink Pokemon nodded. "Yup! That's me! Who're you?"

"I'm Gardevoir, and this is Grovyle." I said quickly.

She frowned slightly before the smile returned. "Umm... Nice to meet you, then." She saw the body in my arms. "Eurgh! Er... Is that what you came to see me for?"

"Yes, and that." Grovyle said blankly, grabbing the body and shoving it into Celebi's arms. "We're going to go back to the past to... To live a little before the world darkened."

Celebi held the body in her arms, stroking it, the blood slowly disappearing. She avoided our gazes for a while. "There is... There is a reason why the time has stopped, you know."

I felt a chill, so I wrapped my scarf around me tighter. "Why is that?"

Celebi took a deep breath. "Well, I'm not sure if it's true, but, Dialga, a legendary once controlled time. Temporal Tower, where he lived suddenly collapsed because of a falling star. The star came down because someone made someone so horrible-"

"We know that part." Grovyle interrupted.

"Okay." Celebi huffed. "Well, the tower collapsed. I think to keep the tower from collapsing, Time Gears in hidden places have to be taken and inserted into the slot in the tower. I know it stops time in the area, but once it's in the tower everything will be f- EEK!" She fell to the ground underneath a human.

"May!" I gasped. She had returned to her human form, fully healed. The small pink flame burned within her, the other half still at the human world. I wonder how her family was doing...

Celebi grunted and pulled herself out from under the body. "Geez, why didn't you tell me this girl was a- Ah." She floated closer towards her and inspected May from every angle. "It can't be..."

"Wh-What's wrong?" I asked, Grovyle crossing his arms and sighing.

"This girl..." Celebi murmured. "A few months ago... A ship sank in the human world, and a couple dozen of my brothers and sisters came in to save the humans by opening time holes and transporting them to a few hours in the future. I was the youngest one, and I chose to save this girl... Erh... My power wasn't very good at the time."

"So, you know her!" I cried happily.

Grovyle started nodding. "Ah... I understand." He said. "Thank you, Celebi. Also... I have an idea on what to do when we reach the past."

May awoke. She screamed and looked around, and through the bitterness in my mouth, I had to explain what had happened. Celebi had brought her back from the dead, which meant she was now only a few moments old. Reborn. She quickly agreed to our plan, though.

"By the way..." Celebi said, leading us deeper into the forest. "I've heard that there was a group of humans that were investigating the darkness... Nobody know what happened to them though."

"Oh..."

Finally, we ended up in a large clearing. "Wait right here!" She said cheerfully as she floated to the edge of a bush, raised her arms and made a giant blue and white hole appear. I gasped. "This is the Passage Of Time." She said. "It should take you back into the past to save this world... Anything to spare the world from darkness."

"Thank you, Celebi." I said. A branch snapped. The same crack I had heard months ago...

"And where do you think you're going?" A voice boomed. We whirled around to see... Dusknoir! As a Dusknoir!

"Get in!" Celebi ordered, pushing them towards the hole. "Gardevoir, we'll fend them off!"

Oh, geez, why us? There's a reason why we have types, okay! May and Grovyle ran into the hole, and as a group of Sableye piled onto us, I saw Dusknoir rush towards the hole, grabbing the edges just as it was about to close."NO!" I cried, pushing harder. May and Grovyle, they were almost there... I had to... I had to save them! Or it would be too late!

**END**

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Yes, that's the end. Not happy? Don't worry, it doesn't end there... Watch this dA account first!


	9. Epilogue

Friends, our adventure does not stop here just yet. Grovyle and May... They are off into the past. Maybe I could join them later? Hahah, as if! We'll have to see what goes on from there. Thank you for reading. Thank you.

Erm... Also, the link on the previous page (don't ask me anything) wasn't properly... Sent. Please, check the author's profile and click on the Deviantart link!

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Okay, I'm gonna try this one more time:  
If that doesn't work just go to my profile. Thank youu~


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